Adjustable container for service parts



Feb. 22, 1955 A. K. NEILSON ADJUSTABLE CONTAINER FOR SERVICE PARTS FiledJuly 15, 1951 United States Patent ADJUSTABLE CONTAINER FOR SERVICEPARTS Allan K. Neilson, Detroit, Mich.

Application July 13, 1951, Serial No. 236,621

7 Claims. (Cl. 220-18) This invention relates to pivotal containers andparticularly containers for service parts of machinery or appliances.

An object of the invention is to equip an open-topped container with aremovable false bottom, adapted to be installed upon partially fillingthe container and serving as a support for the top portion of thecontainer contents, whereby it is necessary to remove such false bottomfollowing a predetermined depletion of the contents, thus warning anattendant that the container should be refilled.

Another object is to form said false bottom with a partially severedstruck-up portion, facilitating installation and removal of the falsebottom.

Another object is to pivotally mount said container for a limited up anddown tilting relative to its support, to form such support with anabutment determining the lower limit of such tilting, and to equip anend portion of said false bottom with a spacer which may be interposedbetween the container and said abutment by inverting the false bottomand disposing it beneath the container, whereby a desired uptiltedposition of the container will be established, identifying the containeras requiring refilling.

Another object is to adapt said spacer to further serve for spacing thefalse bottom predeterminedly above the true bottom of the container,when occupying the latter.

Another object is to dispose said support at the rear of the container,to mount said spacer on the rear end of said false bottom, and to adaptthe front wall of the container to support the corresponding end of thefalse bottom, when installed in the container.

These and various other objects are attained by the constructionhereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing,wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the container and its support, omittingthe false bottom.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the container in itslower limiting position, engaged with its support and having its falsebottom installed.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the upper limiting position of thecontainer, with the false bottom exteriorly applied to maintain suchposition.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the false bottom in the invertedposition which it occupies in Fig. 3.

In these views, the reference characters 1 and 2 respectively designatethe front and back walls of an opentopped container of primarilyrectangular form, such container further comprising parallel side walls3 and a true bottom 4. A lower portion of the front wall (and preferablyits lower half) forms a ninety-degree arc, merging into the bottom 4.The top portions of the side walls similarly form a pair of rearwardextensions 5 from the container, and these are downwardly hooked tomount the container on a vertically upstanding flange 6a of a supportsuch as a horizontally disposed angle bar 6. The notches 5a which givethe extensions 5 a hook form are sufficiently wide to afford thecontainer an up and down tilting through a desired angle as for examplefifteen degrees, it being preferred that the container be approximatelyhorizontal, as per Fig. 3, at the upper limit of such tilting. Thus thecontainer will incline downwardly toward its front end at about fifteendegrees to the horizontal at the lower limit of its tilting travel. Saidlower limit is established preferably by engagement of the wall 2 withthe lower edge of the flange 6:: (Figs. 1 and 2).

A plate 7 is proportioned to removably fit in the container, in anupwardly spaced and substantially parallel relation to the bottom 4,preferably dividing the container into approximately equal upper andlower compartments. Said plate forms a false bottom, Whose front edge isadapted to seat on the arcuate portion of the wall 1 substantially atthe juncture of such portion with the plane upper half of said wall. Therear end of said plate rigidly carries a leg 8 to abut the wall 2 andseat on the bottom 4. As illustrated, such leg is formed by downwardlybending a rearward extension from the plate 7 transversely to suchplate. Said leg has its lower margin forwardly bent to form a foot 80,alfording the leg a substantial seat on the bottom 4.

The plate 7 has an alternative use position (Fig. 3), in which it isdisposed beneath and against the bottom 4, with its leg 8 upwardlyprojecting rearward of the container, so as to adapt the foot 8a toserve as a spacer between the container and lower portion of the flange6a, whereby the container may be retained in its raised position. Whenthus disposed, the plate accurately establishes the proper spacerposition of the foot 8a and resists any tendency of the leg 8 to tiltresponsive to to the compression stress imposed on said foot by thecontainer. Also the plate forms a convenient means for manipulating thefoot 80 to or from its proper spacer location.

Since the plate 7 has only slight clearance from the walls of thecontainer when installed therein, it would be difiicult to remove theplate in absence of a handle thereon. As a simple and inexpensive meansfor equipping the plate with a handle, a strip 9 marginal to the frontedge of the plate is struck up from the latter, being severed except atits ends from the plate and forming a grip by which the front end may bereadily swung up to give ample access to its edge.

In use of the described container, it normally receives the plate '7, asa false bottom, such plate being inserted after loading the containerwith sufiicient service parts or other material to approximately fillthe lower compartment. The material is initially kept clear of the wall2, so as to avoid interference with positioning of the leg 8 againstsaid wall, being pushed or shaken back after said leg is substantiallyin place. While a slight unoccupied space Will thus ordinarily be leftin the lower compartment, this is of no importance. When the plate 7 isin place, as per Fig. 2, the upper compartment may then be filled. Theprimary utility of the described plate lies in the fact that it must beremoved by the parts room attendant, following a predetermined depletionof the container contents, thus very definitely calling attention tofact that replenishment is necessary. The quantity of material occupyingthe lower compartment avoids necessity for immediate replenishment, thisbeing desirable since, ordinarily, a few days may be required to fillthe attendants order for further material.

Disposal of the plate 7 as per Fig. 3, upon its removal from acontainer, secures two distinct advantages. Thus such disposal assures adefinite and readily accessible location of the plate, so that no timeneed be lost, when replacement of the plate in its normal position isagain desirable. The uptilted position of the container maintained bythe plate, when underlying the container, serves as a constantindication of the need for refilling and sharply distinguishes undulydepleted containers of a group from those requiring no attention. It isto be understood in this connection that a large number of the describedcontainers will commonly be grouped upon the bar 6 or a set of suchbars, providing storage for many different types of parts. The fact thatthe container is tilted downwardly at its forward end when its contentsare adequate, facilitates access to and inspection of such contents.

Use of the described dual purpose plate 7 adds little to cost of thedescribed container, and greatly increases assurance that refilling willbe effected adequately in advance of complete depletion.

What I claim is:

1. In a pivotal container and its support, the combination with anopen-topped container having a true bottom and front and back Walls, ofa support positioned in exterior proximity to said back wall, meanspivoting the container on said support affording an up and downtiltingofthe container, such support including an abutment limiting downtilting of the container; a'plate positioned alternatively within andbeneath the containerand proportioned to form a false bottom for thecontainer when therein, and means carried by said plate at an endthereof for spacing such end above the true bottom of the container whenthe plate is within the container, and for spacing the containerforwardly from said abutment to maintain an up tilted position of thecontainer 'when the plate is positioned beneath the container with saidspacer means upwardly projecting in.

exterior proximity to the back wall of the container.

2.'A pivotal container and its support as set forth in claim 1, saidspacer means extending between the container andsaid abutment andmaintaining an uptilted position of the container, when said plate ispredeterminedly positioned beneath the container.

3. A pivotal container and its support as set forth in claim 1, saidspacer means comprising an end portion of said plate bent substantiallytransversely to the main body of the plate.

4. A pivotal container and its support as set forthin claim 3, said endportion being terminally bent in substantial parallelism with the mainbodyof the plate.

5. In a pivotal container andfits support, the combination with anopen-topped container having a true .bottom, a back wall and side walls,of supportpositioned in exterior proximity to said back wall, meanspivoting the container on said support affording an up and down tiltingof the container, such support including an abutment limiting downtilting of the container, a plate alternatively positioned within thecontainer at an elevation above the true bottom and beneath thecontainer in proximity thereto and in substantial parallelism to the't'ruebot'tom, such plate being proportioned to form a false bottom forthe container when therein, and an element carried by the plate at anend thereof and projecting upwardly from the plate in exterior proximityto said back wall, when the plate is predeterminedly disposed beneaththe container, and reacting between the container and said abutmenrtospace the container forwardl-y from said abutment and thereby maintainan uptil'ted position of the container.

6. In a pivotal container as set forth in claim 5, said element having'a spacer-forming free extremity engaged between said abutment and theback wall of the container upon said predetermined disposal of the platebeneath the container. I

7. A pivotal container as set forth in claim 5, said plate being held inplace, when disposed beneath the container, by the clamping coaction ofthe container and said abutment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,059,350 Cockins Apr. 22, 1913 1,451,383 Wilson Apr. 10, 1923 1,813,670Kessler July 7, 1931 2,287,610 Guidry June 23, 1942 2,317,067 KnaustApr. 20, 1943 2,356,473 Saul,.]r. Aug. 22, 1944 2,369,335 Burman Feb.13, 1945 2,580,041 Neilson 'Dec. 25, 1951 2,595,752 Batts May 6, 1952FOREIGN PATENTS 160,132 Switzerland May 1, 1934 571,577 Great BritainAug. 30, 1945

